Many people worldwide are fighting for their rights. Some fight for them because they are denied of them. Others fight for them because their enemies want to take those rights away from them. Whatever the reason, we must learn to stand up and fight for our rights.
As a Christian, we have often been told to learn to deny ourselves because the Lord Jesus Himself said it. He said in Matthew 16:14, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
I personally love how the NLT version depicts that. It goes, "If any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me."
It's not about giving up our rights to live a godly, righteous life
Friend, what the Lord Jesus said didn't mean that you would throw away your rights and allow yourself to be used and abused by others who love to prey upon the weak and the ignorant. Paul even rebuked the Corinthian church because some who disguised themselves as God's servants abused them (see 2 Corinthians 11:19-21).
We must know our rights as Christians, and fight for the freedom that Christ has given us so that we could freely live for Him who died for us.
Here are some Bible verses to help you realise your rights and get up to fight for them.
Galatians 5:1 – "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Psalm 18:25-29 – "To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall."
1 John 4:1 – "Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world."
Psalm 18:34 – "He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze."
Ephesians 6:13-18 – "Therefore, put on every piece of God's armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armour of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
